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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26146273">The Next Best Thing to an Honourable Friend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/morwen_of_gondor/pseuds/morwen_of_gondor'>morwen_of_gondor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Inspired By Empire Reimagined [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anakin meets someone who's not intimidated by him, Angst, Angst and Humor, Arguing, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Gen, Healing, Hopeful Ending, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Light Angst, Mentioned Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Past Character Death, Redemption, Sarcasm, Uncomfortable Conversations, and does not quite know what to do, everyone agrees that Palpatine is a jerk, he's trying though, or the beginnings of it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:00:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,412</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26146273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/morwen_of_gondor/pseuds/morwen_of_gondor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Anakin Skywalker, once Darth Vader, is recalled from his pirate-hunting quest by Alliance High Command to determine if a new Imperial defector is genuine or not. He assumes, incorrectly, that this defector is a stranger.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader &amp; CC-1010 | Fox, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader &amp; Luke Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Inspired By Empire Reimagined [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>123</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Next Best Thing to an Honourable Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishfulthinking1979/gifts">Wishfulthinking1979</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809237">Forging Ahead</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishfulthinking1979/pseuds/Wishfulthinking1979">Wishfulthinking1979</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is set in Wishfulthinking1979's <i>Empire Reimagined</i> 'verse, and the setting will make a lot more sense to you if you're familiar with that already. There are also references to her series <i>Hunting Scum and Villainy.</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anakin was not precisely pleased to get an urgent comm from Alliance Command asking him to come and vet their latest supposed defector from the Empire. He appreciated that they were being cautious since Admiral Culaaney’s betrayal, but really, he thought even they would see that calling the former commander of Death Squadron in to determine the allegiance of a single non-Force Sensitive was overkill.</p><p>When he had brought up that point, General Rieekan had looked uncomfortable, and said something about it being "really to confirm his identity as well as his intentions," which cleared absolutely nothing up. Still, he was endeavouring to work with the New Republic’s government, and he supposed that meant doing them political favours occasionally. Besides, if word got out that defectors were being greeted by Darth Vader, the number of attempted betrayals like Culaaney’s would probably go down considerably. The number of real defections might go down too, but as none of this had been his idea, he felt that that was not his problem.</p><p>The potential defector was being kept in what were nominally very secure guest quarters. A detention cell by any other name was still a detention cell to Anakin’s mind, but perhaps the name change and the presence of cushions on the chairs — <i>or the absence of torture droids,</i> said a voice in his mind that sounded rather like Obi-Wan — reassured some people. As he strode purposefully down the hall, he wondered absently if he had ever met the defector before. Surely Alliance Command would have told him if it was someone they thought he knew…but there was something familiar niggling at the edges of his sense of the Force, something that he couldn’t quite track down. Still, it wasn’t a threat as far as he could tell, so he set it aside to be examined later.</p><p>When he entered the detention quarters, as he thought of them, his first thoughts were, first, that for someone claiming to be as highly placed in the Empire as this man, he looked both remarkably young and remarkably uncomfortable, and second, he didn’t think that any of the clones who still worked with the Alliance were in intel. Then he had the odd sensation of his perspective completely flipping around, and realised that the clone was the defector and the very uncomfortable young man was the assigned case officer.</p><p>"Really not sure if you’re trying to bribe me or intimidate me here," the clone was saying in a voice that reminded Anakin vaguely of Commander Wolffe at his most acerbic. "Either way you’re doing a kriffing terrible job. I thought you lot might at least have better caf than the GAR."</p><p>The case officer mumbled something that Anakin couldn’t quite make out, and the clone pinched the bridge of his nose as though to stave off a headache. "We’ve already established that you can’t let me out of here or answer any of my questions until your superiors have decided I’m not going to start shooting the place up. What exactly are you trying to do?"</p><p>Anakin decided that it was high time to rescue the beleaguered Intelligence officer, who had clearly bitten off more than he could chew, and strode into the room. The officer sprang to attention immediately and froze there. The clone sighed something that sounded like, "Shinies," and then he looked up, met Anakin’s eyes, and froze.</p><p>The sense of familiarity in the Force resolved itself into a remembered presence, one that he had not recognised before because it was no longer tainted with the darkness that seemed to impress itself into anyone who stayed near Sidious too long. The memories it brought up were not fond ones. "You!" Anakin snarled, suddenly unable to think of anything except the memory of Fives falling to his knees in a warehouse, a smoking hole in his chest armour, and the emotionless visor of a red-painted helmet watching him dispassionately.</p><p>"Skywalker," said Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard, inclining his head with something that might have been respect. "It’s been a while."</p><p>Luke’s presence flared on the other end of their bond. <i>Father? Are you all right?</i> </p><p>His son’s concern pushed back the Dark that had been so tempting for a moment. Anakin took a deep breath, and managed not to say any of the furious things that had come to mind. Instead, he managed a neutral, if rather tense, "So it has."</p><p><i>Yes,</i> he sent back to Luke, <i>mostly. I have just run across an unexpected piece of my past.</i></p><p>
  <i>I’m here if you need me, Father, you know that.</i>
</p><p><i>Thank you.</i> Sometimes it still staggered Anakin that his son gave love so easily, but this was not quite the time to be lost in amazement. Fox was speaking again, and Anakin reminded himself to listen.</p><p>"I suppose you’re the superior the kid" — and Fox jerked his head towards the young officer, still standing at attention and doing a fairly decent job of keeping his shock off his face — "was waiting for."</p><p>"It appears so."</p><p>"Well? I assumed your Command had questions for me."</p><p><i>If they do, nobody bothered to brief me on them. Or you. I will be having words with Rieekan.</i> "Not really. I am here to ensure that you harbour no hostility towards the Alliance." <i>I think.</i></p><p>Fox shrugged. "Wouldn’t be here if I did. Espionage isn’t my style."</p><p>Anakin clenched his fists. "But shooting men who disagree with you is?" </p><p>Something closed off in Fox’s face. "That is how war works."</p><p>"And arresting innocent girls?"</p><p>Fox crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. For someone who was sitting at a flimsy table in what was, essentially, a glorified cell, he looked irritatingly in charge of the situation. "Who have warrants out for their arrest and who appear to have murdered my men. Yes."</p><p>Anakin turned away from the table before the urge to start either yelling or breaking things became too much. <i>Father,</i> came Luke’s voice again, <i>what do you need?</i></p><p>Bless his perceptive son. <i>A way to change the past. A way to say I’m sorry to a man who died on my watch. And a chance to punch the Jedi Council in the face.</i></p><p>
  <i>Don’t take your anger out on those who weren’t at fault, Father. It won’t solve anything.</i>
</p><p>Another deep breath, and Anakin unclenched his fists. "I sense no deception from you. I will inform Alliance Command of this."</p><p>"Appreciated."</p><p>Anakin turned back towards Fox, deliberately leaning over the small table where he was seated, and pointed a stern finger at his face. "Do not expect me to vouch for you again."</p><p>He got a remarkably unimpressed stare in return. "Skywalker, I’m not here to ask anyone to vouch for me. I’m here because our old <i>dar’jetti</i> boss was a complete and utter <i>demagolka</i> who used me and my brothers like pawns and got thousands of them killed for <i>nothing,</i> and since I can’t take a shot at him," — Fox was on his feet suddenly, and while he was still shorter than Anakin, it took a deliberate decision not to step back from the fire that had kindled in his eyes — "I will spend what’s left of my life tearing down every single thing he ever had a hand in building. Now get out of my face."</p><p>Anakin lowered his hand and stepped away from the desk. A small startled sound alerted him to the fact that he’d never actually dismissed the Intelligence officer, who was now staring at Fox in awe and maybe a little fear. "Dismissed," Anakin rapped out, and the officer saluted smartly in both their directions before leaving at the highest speed that could possibly be considered decorous.</p><p>Anakin turned towards the door. "I’m sure someone will be along to ask you questions sooner or later," he said as he walked away, "but it will be a formality. Welcome to the Alliance, Commander Fox."</p><p>He wasn’t expecting a response, so the quiet, "Thank you, General," that he got in answer caught him off guard. </p><p>Anakin nodded jerkily before walking away. The Force had a very strange sense of humour some days, but he couldn’t entirely deny that the chance to confront that particular old anger had been, well, freeing. That didn’t mean he wanted to work with Fox, but, well, the Force had a strange sense of humour. Somehow he didn’t think he’d seen the last of the man.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mando'a translations:<br/>dar'jetti = one who has abandoned the ways of the Jedi, a Sith<br/>demagolka = a war criminal or real-life monster</p><p>This is my first time writing either Fox or Anakin, so suggestions and feedback are very welcome.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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